I'll Turn Back Time
by hongbela
Summary: When new girl, Chiara, starts at Emilia's school her whole life is turned upside down. (Magical Girl AU)
1. Chapter 1

" _Where am I?" Emilia mumbled, glancing around the strange building in which she was trapped. It really didn't make much sense, the building. Stairs on the ceiling, hallways twisting in impossible angles, likely impossible to walk down as well, and sprialing walkways that lead nowhere, and yet Emilia knew exactly where she was going. Her moved without her commanding them to do so, carrying her down the strange hallways, her body naturally moving with the strange angles and impossible spirals._

 _Her feet carried her to a platform of some sort, overlooking a dull, grey world that was steadily crumbling down around her. Buildings were falling and there was the distant sound of screaming, they sounded familiar but she couldn't quite figure out why. Her body stopped moving and her eyes focused on a young girl._

 _She couldn't of been much older than thirteen but she was fighting for her life against a strange creature. The creature was pitching black and had terrible looking yellow fangs protruding from it's mouth. Said mouth was twisted into a disgusting smile and it's eyes were small red and beady. "You can help her, Emilia." A cheery voice announced._

 _She glanced down, startled, and found another strange creature. However this one had a much more normal shape to it. It looked like a puffin or some bird like that and it had a bowtie tied around it's neck._ How curious. _She thought. "How?"_

" _Make a contract with me!" The puffin exclaimed cheerfully and she noted how deep it's voice was. It sounded rather… manly. Her attention was torn from the bird at the sound of the girl, who she noted had to most beautiful green eyes, shouting. She couldn't make out what was being said but she looked like she was… pleading with her._

But what could she possibly be pleading for? _Emilia wondered. But before she could muse any further, a loud shrill noise yanked her from her thoughts and from her world of dreams._

"Emilia turn that off!" Her dear older sister shouted, slamming on her door. Emilia shot up, now fully awake and switched her alarm clock off. She sighed and got up from her bed, deciding to get ready for school.

She gathered up her school uniform, balling up most of it and made her way to the bathroom, determined to get there before her sisters and take a shower and do her hair. It seemed today, however, fate was against her. She groaned loudly and rolled her eyes. "Tough luck kid." Her oldest sister, Freya, said, ruffling her hair with a huge grin on her face.

Emilia rolled her eyes and stormed back into her bedroom and changed into her school uniform there. She observed herself in the mirror and decided that her skirt was much too short and sighed loudly. Today was not her day. _Whatever. Nothing I can do about it._

She focused on her hair, brushing tangles out of the thick, white locks. After that was done she settled for tying her hair up in a simple bun to make things easier. After said task was done she double check her schoolbag, making sure all the right book and last night's homework was still there. Finding everything to be there, she grabbed her bag, did one last hair check, and headed out for school.

Along the way she met up with her long time friend, Natalya. Natalya and her had met in elementary school when Emilia had just moved from Denmark. Natalya was from Russia, and much like her at the time, Natalya had spoke little English and the two bonded over strange notes they exchanged to communicate. Eventually over time, the two learned English and they became much closer, bonding then over common interests and annoying siblings.

"Good morning." Natalya greeted, her heavy accent coming out. Emilia nodded in response, forcing a smile. Natalya saw right through it, of course. "What's the matter?"

"Bad morning." Emilia sighed. Natalya hummed in response, after all Natalya had had her fair share of them as well.

"Your sister?"

"Who else?" Emilia snorted. Natalya laughed a little and the two went their separate ways.

When Emilia arrived to class she took her seat and mentally prepared herself for Amelia, who had yet to realize that Emilia didn't want anything to do with her. "Mornin' Em!" Amelia greeted loudly, as she always did, with a huge grin on her face.

"Good morning." She greeted flatly, taking her seat next to Amelia's quieter sister Michelle.

Michelle was beautiful to say at the least. She had dark skin, long brown hair, and sparkling brown eyes. Had Emilia been interested in dating, she would probably consider dating Michelle. "I'm sorry about her."

"Don't be, she means no harm." Michelle wanted to say more but the teacher walked in with a new girl. They hadn't been warned about any new students, so her arrival caused a general quiet, if you ignored the whispering from the back of the room (likely from Feliks and Toris).

"Good morning class," Ms. Braginskaya greeted warmly. "I'd like to introduce you to Chiara, your new classmate." Emilia's heart skipped a beat when she saw the girl, Chiara as she had so been introduced. She was the same girl from her dream, though she wasn't entirely sure how that was possible as she'd never seen this girl before in her life. "There's an empty seat next to Emilia, please sit there Chiara." Ms. Braginskaya motioned to the only empty seat in the classroom.

Emilia had never felt so uncomfortable before. Not only was the _entire_ class staring in her general question, but she had no idea _how_ to even address this girl and common knowledge around the school was: if a new student sits next to you, they're your burden. Chiara sat down next to her and the scent of lavender overwhelmed Emilia's senses. "Uh, _ciao,_ I'm Chiara…" Emilia could of sworn Chiara mumbled something along the lines of ' _but you already knew that.'_

"Emilia." It came out more flat and cold than she intended. Ms. Braginskaya began teaching and her attention turned from the girl next to her, to the lesson.

At lunchtime Emilia was showing Chiara around the school when Chiara stopped and looked her dead in the eye and asked calmly, "Emilia, do you have a wish?"

She was taken aback of course. She hadn't been expecting it and it didn't quite make sense. "I-I suppose." Chiara was observing her face and it was making her extremely uncomfortable.

"Would you trade your friends and family for it?"

Oh that made her mad. "Of course not!" She snapped, clenching her fists.

Chiara smiled and turned on her heel. "Good."

After school her, Natalya, and Michelle went to Natalya's house and Emilia decided to talk to them about it.

"That's… interesting." Natalya said simply. Michelle looked unsure as to how to respond. "And what did you mean by you recognised her?"

Emilia bit her lip and sighed. "Don't call me crazy, but I saw her in my dream last night."

Natalya snorted.

"I'm being serious." Both Michelle and Natalya glanced at each other, both deciding that Emilia was being serious about it. "I'm a little freaked out about it."

"I-" Natalya was cut off by her sister.

" _Natasha, can you bring this up to your brother_?" Anya, Natalya's sister and Emilia's homeroom teacher, came out carrying a plate of food. Natalya nodded and disappeared upstairs to give the food to her brother.

"How's Ivan doing?" Michelle asked Anya.

"Hmm.. oh he's doing a lot better now." Anya forced a smile but it was quite clear to both of them that she lying through her teeth. It was common knowledge to the two of them that Ivan was dying and there wasn't really anything that could be done about it.

Natalya came back downstairs and a silence fell upon the three, neither of them sure what to say. Michelle and Emilia didn't stay for much longer.

Later that night, Natalya called her and told her she needed out of the house and asked if they could go out for a walk together. Emilia agreed and they decided to meet up at the halfway point between their houses. Emilia told her mother where she was headed and headed out.

When she met up with Natalya, it was clear she'd been crying. Emilia opted to ignore it, knowing it would only further agitate the other girl. They walked in silence and paid no mind to their surroundings, until Emilia realized that something wasn't quite right.

Their surrounding had warped into something similar to her dream. It was terrifying to say at the least. Natalya stopped walking and looked around in confusion. "Emilia, where are we?"

"I-I don't know." They heard a sickening laughter and Emilia's blood ran cold.

Strange creatures, with heads of cotton, were dancing around giggling madly at the two girls. They began to grow closer and closer, until suddenly a bright flash of yellow light encased them and a third girl appeared.

Emilia began to feel faint and her knees gave out. Natalya called out something at her but it all sounded so distant and just as their surroundings grew normal again, Emilia blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Emil watched from afar as Elizaveta engaged herself in battle against the witch to protect the two humans. He always found a strange sense pride watching her fight. Perhaps it was because they were on the same playing field so to say. They both contained the same level of humanity and practically fell within the same species. It was odd to think, in fact, that over time Emil had stopped viewing himself, and the other magical boys and girls, as human. He viewed them, and himself, as a subset of human. Not above that of non-magical people, but not below either, perhaps somewhere in a grey area. He doubted anyone else felt this way, but in his mind him and Elizaveta were in the same subset of human and that made them brothers-in-arms, so to speak.

As the battle came to a close, Elizaveta reverted back to her "civilian form" and scooped up Emilia, who had previously passed out. Emil couldn't help but feel a flutter of worry in his chest as he watched Elizaveta carry off the limp body of his friend. He also couldn't help but wonder what they, and by they he meant Emilia and Natalya, were doing out so late and why his "aunt" had even allowed Emilia to be out so late. Part of him wanted to take it out on Natalya but he knew it wasn't her fault. In was just a simple matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Natalya was not responsible for that.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Emil sighed. It had been a long night and he still hadn't managed to fight a witch, which was bad. His soul gem was darkening and he need to get a Grief Seed before it got worse. The last thing he need was to be turned into a witch like Elise had.

"Emil." Changming called out to him from further down the street. He looked out of breath. "The Incubator is back!"

Emil knew what that meant. The Incubator had chosen someone new to be a magical boy or girl. This wasn't really a good thing nor was it a bad thing. It was almost in a grey area, simply because, in situations like these, it could turn out so many different ways. "You know who he's decided on?"

"Emilia and Natalya, I believe." He felt something bubble up inside him and he couldn't quite figure out if it was positive or negative. Perhaps it was pride that his friend would join him and he'd finally have someone who was practically family to confide in or perhaps it was rage that his friend had to be dragged into this madness. Perhaps it was both. "Oh yeah, Kasem wanted to know if you got a Grief Seed."

"I didn't, Elizaveta bet me to the witch." Changming looked at him in exasperation.

"Emil you _have_ to start defeating witches."

"I know, sorry." He genuinely was sorry, but as of now there was hardly anything he could do about it. Morning was coming and if he didn't return home soon his brother would notice his absence.

Changming pulled out a Grief Seed and tossed it to him. "This is the last time I give you one, is the clear?"

"Crystal."

* * *

He slipped back into his bedroom at one in the morning to find The Incubator there. "Ah, welcome back Emil!" The bird like creature chirped upon his arrival. "I was wonderin' when ya'd show back up." He felt uneasy at the thought of the creature being under his roof.

"What do you want?" Emil snapped, shooing the creature from his bed. He flapped his wing and landed on his bed side table.

"Not beatin' 'round the bush, eh?" He swore if that thing could smirk he would. "Just wanted to let ya know that ya'll have some new comrades now!"

For some reason the way he said it was unsettling and foreboding. "Thanks.." He replied. The Incubator lingered for a few moment before leaving the room through the open window. Emil didn't get any sleep after he left.

* * *

Emilia confronted him the moment he walked into school the next day and demanded to know why he had kept it a secret. He played dumb until they were somewhere less populated and the likelihood of being overheard shrank.

"Well?" Emilia demanded. Emil sighed in annoyance, Emilia could be such a pain sometimes.

"Would you have believed me?"

Emilia faltered. "No, probably not."

"Then there was no reason to tell you." Emil told her curtly. He paused for a moment. "You're not actually going to make a contract, right?"

"I don't know."

There was a long stretch of silence. He opened his mouth to say something but the bell cut him off. "Sorry Emil, I have to go."

He sighed and waved goodbye to her.

* * *

"Emil, is that you?" Lukas called out when he came home after school. He was half tempted to take his frustrations out on his brother, but decided against seeing as it hadn't worked all that great last time.

"Yeah." He called back, slipping his shoes off and neatly placing them on the rack. _Who else would it be Lukas?_ He wanted to say but he held his tongue.

"How was school?" Lukas asked when he came into the living room.

"Fine." He headed for the stairs but Lukas stopped him.

"Why'd you come home so late last night?"

He came up with the best lie he could think of on the spot. "I fell asleep at Kasem's."

Lukas bought it. After all Emil had never given him any reason not to disbelieve him before. "Alright just don't let it happen again."

"I'm going out again tonight."

He heard Lukas sigh in annoyance. "For once can the three of us have dinner together?"

He didn't say anything and Lukas shook his head and mumbled a 'whatever' before leaving him. Emil wanted to apologise, really he did but, he couldn't. He couldn't explain this to Lukas. It was just to way things had to be, he supposed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chiara was less than pleased that Natalya had become a magical girl because, in her mind, that simply paved the path for Emilia to become one as well. If she was honest, Chiara was still questioning her motives for protecting Emilia so fiercely. Perhaps it was the fact that Elise had been so close to her, and Chiara had promised to protect everything she had loved. She felt if Emilia became a magical girl again, it would be a betrayal of her promise to Elise.

"Chiara!" Erika called out from down the hallway and Chiara spared her an annoyed glance before continuing down the hallway. "I got that information for you!" Chiara turned around quickly and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her into the apartment. "Hey no need for draggin'!" Erika snapped.

"Tell me what you know." Chiara demanded after she slammed her apartment door shut.. Erika rubbed her wrist.

"Well now I don' know if i wanna tell ya." Erika snapped at her, pouting a little and Chiara took a moment to count to ten, reminding herself that this was Elise's sister.

"Erika, please." Chiara hated how defeated she sounded when she said that.

"Yeah well he ain't got much o' anythin' on 'er." Erika sighed, sounding deflated. "He did 'ave some of 'em research papers you was asking 'bout, I managed to sneak 'em out when he was sleepin'." Erika pulled them out of her jacket pocket and handed them to her. Chiara yanked them from her hand and grinned. They'd struck gold. "What is it, they good?"

"Where did you say you're accent comes from again?" Chiara sounded annoyed, because her accent was extremely annoying. She flipped through some papers.

"Hangin' out with the Incubator." Erika hummed and Chiara gave her a "why would you want to spend time with that thing" look. "Ay he gives me lots of insight on this whole magical girl thing, ya know?"

"Yeah sure, thanks Erika," Chiara said absent-mindedly. "Can you take my patrol tonight?"

"Yeah, sure, just let me know if ya find anythin'."

"Of course."

* * *

Chiara was half-tempted to skip school the next day simply to avoid Alice, but she knows that'd be a mistake. After all if she skipped Bianca would show up at her door, worrying about her when it was Chiara that should be doing the worrying. The idea of seeing Bianca again was tempting but she hardly lived in the safest neighborhood and Bianca's safety came before anything else.

She was late getting to school and at lunch Alice confronted her. "Why weren't you in class this morning?" She didn't sound angry, which was new, she just sounded concerned. "Are you sick?"

Chiara snorted and swatted Alice away. "Did Bianca send you?" Chiara asked icily and regretted it immediately when she saw Alice's face drop and twist up in anger.

"No she didn't," Alice spat. "I'm sorry that I was worried about you." Alice turned on her heel and marched away. Chiara deflated a little, regretting snapping at her sister and glanced down at her food. She'd barely touched it, but her appetite was gone.

"Chiara!" Lien called out, hurrying across the lunchroom to her table. "There's been a sighting!" Lien exclaimed, looking expectantly at her.

":Elise?" She whispered and Lien nodded, a grin plastered on her face. "Where?" Chiara demanded standing up and gathering her bags.

"Outskirts of town," Lien told her following after her. "I don't think you should go alone though."

"Then who do you propose I take with me?" Chiara asked, sounding half-annoyed. Lien glanced over at Natalya, who had her back turned to them. "Her?" Chiara almost laughed. "She has no experience."

"She was her best friend though, and as far as Natalya is concerned Elise is dead," Lien snapped. "She deserves this just as much as you do!" Chiara blinked. Admittedly she had a point, but she hardly wanted to spend time with Natalya. Chiara sighed in defeat.

"Natalya!" She called over and Natalya whipped around looking confused. "Come with me we need to talk." Natalya glanced warily at Emilia but Emilia nodded in encouragement. When Natalya had stood, Chiara turned and started walking.

"Where are we-"

"You and Elise were friend, correct?" There was a stretch of silence.

"I knew you looked familiar." Natalya whispered, her voice quivering. She sounded pissed. "You got her killed, didn't you?"

"She's alive," Chiara sighed. "I want you to come with me."

"Why did she disappear then?"

"She lost her memories during a battle and she left," Chiara replied shakily. "She doesn't remember me, but she might remember you."

"I- okay, alright." Natalya sighed. "I'll come with you."


End file.
